Synchronicity
by Kimura Yumi
Summary: It was the time for another Diva to be chosen, to please the dragon. Alas, Allen was chosen to be the one. Years later, his twin brother Lavi goes out in search of his brother, with a ring necklace as his only hope. Will he be able to rescue his twin from his tragic fate?
1. Legend

**Synchronicity**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own D. Gray Man nor Vocaloid's Synchronicity storyline.  
**

**All unknown characters that appear in this story belongs to me, and only me.  
**

**Summary:**

It was the time for another Diva to be chosen, to please the dragon. Alas, Allen was chosen to be the one. Years later, his twin brother Lavi goes out in search of his brother, with a ring necklace as his only hope. Will he be able to rescue his twin from his tragic fate?

* * *

**Chapter 1: Legend  
**

* * *

There was once a cave unnamed in mythology, where no one had dared to enter. It was said to be one of the "deadly curses" bestowed upon the world. According to legends, those who went never went out again. People had thoroughly scrutinized every nook and cranny of the entire cave, but they have not lived to share their discoveries. Till this day the cave is still there, now with a powerful spell being the ultimate barrier of the cavern. The death toll still goes on, from centuries till now. Only those who have the key to break the seal will be allowed to pass through. Others, unfortunately, will immediately die when they make even the slightest contact with the humongous seal.

Inside the cave was illuminated with a bright saffron light. It was warm and cheerful, yet eerie and creepy. Silence filled the great atmosphere surrounding the insides of the cursed place. Tall, ceramic pillars surrounded the entire area of the cave, two pillars leaving some space in between for the entrance. A small figure stood in the central area, face looking up at the sky, as if pondering on a certain subject. This figure was clad in a white, long-sleeved top with ruffles running down from the neck all the way down to the hips, and a pink-purple skirt that swayed about with every little fidget she made. Striped stockings were wrapped around her legs and lastly her little feet wore purple pumps. Every time when a breeze swoops into the cave, the spikes of her dark violet hair would sway about, as if they were dancing about in the wind in pure synchronization. Her eyes were hidden by a shiny grey mask. With one pale hand, she slammed the tip of an umbrella that was always in her hand against the cold hard stone ground. A shriek echoed out as the "bang!" resounded.

"Ouch! Mistress Road, that hurts _Lero_!" A jack-o-lantern structure was positioned at the end of the umbrella, with the thin tip of the umbrella being its "hat". Those dark black eyes of his were filled with tears. The small-sized girl, however, did not respond to the umbrella golem's cries. Behind the mask, the black colour that filled her eyes swirled into a wild mixture of an array of colours, her skin turning dark umber in the process. When the swirl has cleared, all that filled her eyes was a bright sinister amber. Ebony cross-like markings began to form on her forehead, until the repetitive cross shape cut across the upper section of the mage's forehead. She looked up at the faintly illuminated ceiling of the cavern, which was carved with strange letters, pictograms and simple pictures that describes many words. An abrupt flash of tangerine orange light began to flash on an empty space beside a diagram of a simple jet-black coloured diagram of a small boy with spiky hair. When the light dissolved into nothingness, a pure white coloured picture of a short boy had taken the place of the empty space. Her darkened lips mouthed something, barely audible for anyone to hear. She raised a hand high up in the air, summoning a candle and sending it shooting upwards. The tip of it struck the white diagram, confirming her final choice and what the future is going to hold.

Looking at a particular empty spot of the orange-toned cavern, distinct images of the horrifying monster living right behind it flashed through her mind. A smile crept over to her gray-skinned face as her eyes narrowed, those yellowish orbs filled with menace. She had managed to find another substitute for the mythical creature. Her job was once again, done.

_"The new Diva has finally been decided…"_

* * *

In a small village located at the thriving country of Iceland, there was always the everyday hustle and bustle of the Icelanders. Abrupt screams could be heard every now and then. According to history, there would be feminine voices screaming their heads off at various buildings situated across the entire country every ten months. It was then revealed that the sources of the shrilling were women who were in the process of giving birth. In the ancient times, women really treated children as their own life treasure, so they attempted many times to give birth to as many offsprings as possible. Also they had wanted more children to carry on the family name in different various ways. Always, one moment there was the hysterical high-pitched outcries, the next moment it was all silence, then a woman would exit the building where the screams came from, with smiles decorating her face, with a plain-clothed woman walking alongside her. A small, adorable cub of a healthy baby would be cradled in the mother's arms, being soothed by her soft humming to a deep slumber. That day was no exception. People ignored the loud yelping of pain and did their own businesses as usual, having already been accustomed to the almost-yearly screaming.

Out of the blue, a deafening outcry echoed out from the southern region of the country, seeming to make the earth shake and giving the members of the public an abrupt scare that they jumped out of their skins. It was so much louder than all of the other usual screams. "Something must have happened," a man in his mid-teens whispered to his girlfriend as they stood still in the middle of the road, scared stiff. The girl nodded in absolute agreement.

In a small wooden house at the very far end of the southern region, a woman threw her head back, letting her long maroon locks flip over backwards. She arched her back by a little, synchronizing with the building pain welling up inside of her. Her sharp fingernails clawed at her husband's hand, whom had clutched her hand tightly so as to relieve her pain, embedding short, deep scratches onto his skin. The middle-aged man winced in pain as the nails plunged deep into his skin once more. He grabbed onto his wife's hand tightly in an attempt to ease the pain, but just at that moment, another long-lasting scream escaped her pale dehydrated lips as a wave of agony washed over her yet again, making all present draw in an extremely short sharp breath as a form of natural reaction.

The midwife, an old lady, was scrutinizing the pregnant mother's bloated abdomen very closely. She spoke in a deepened feminine voice, the wrinkles on her face seeming to deepen with every word that she spoke. "I can see his head! You're almost there, Angela! Keep it up!" she encouraged in a positive tone.

"Ngh! Wrahhhhh!" the woman wailed in pain as that afflictive feeling struck her belly once more.

"_C'mon, baby, get out already!_" the expecting woman screamed in her head. She'd been in this... _position_ for _ages_ and the newborn is still stuck there! With one final strain, she pushed further, forcing the lump out.

At long last, her baby was officially born! An endless ear-splitting wail escaped the neonate's mouth, like a dog really desperate for its long awaited meal. This little infant had short bright red hair stuck to his damp head due to the recent delivery. The old woman cradled the still-bawling newborn in her arms as she wrapped his small fair-skinned frame with a hot towel. Oh, how cute he was! As he gradually began to calm down, his small eyelids slowly fluttered open, revealing sparkling emerald orbs and let out a gasp of surprise upon seeing the face of the midwife before him. The aged woman cried out happily in pure ecstasy. She was now a grandmother! Glancing at her daughter, worry clouded her face as her bloated tummy still has not shrunk with ease yet.

"Mother...?" Her voice was quivering with absolute fright. "I don't feel so good ye - ARGHH!" An excruciating scream cut off her sentence as torturous pain filled her body yet again. The old wom- no, let's say grandmother - swiftly placed the baby on a nearby bed and placed an ear on the fat stomach.

"No way...!" she exclaimed aloud. "There's another one!"

"Inpossible!" the woman - Angela, yelled in between huffs and puffs. "The examination showed only one!"

"Maybe," the man mused out loud. "Maybe... it's a blessing in disguise!" It was the first time he spoke throughout the day, apart from the wincing. His voice was deep and masculine. Those jet-black irises of his widened as the familiar jabbing feeling got to him another time. Sweat trickled down the hanging strand of hair in front of his face, becoming extremely wet as the watery substance accumulated.

Surprisingly, Angela found it easier this time round. Was it that first-timers were over and made things easier the second time round? Or was it a hunch of assurance, being comforted by the thought that it would be alright. She was in a state of mixed feelings; confusion, assurance, hurt, and so on. Just as the second baby was about to come out, she felt a sudden jolt.

Oh crap.

Why always this stage where the newborn gets literally _STUCK_ right in the middle? She hated doing the final strains and all!

"_I guess it wouldn't hurt doing it a second time, huh?_" Within a nisus, the baby was out in a flash, this time's wailing not as loud as the first one. He had reddish-brown strands of hair that clung onto that moist head of his. As he was being draped by another warm cloth and placed on the nearby bed, his pale eyelids opened like window blinds, exposing shiny silver orbs to the foreign atmosphere that now surrounded him. The bloated abdomen eventually contracted into its normal flat shape as time flew past.

The grandmother jumped in joy. She had one - no, two grandsons! Ahh, now the rapture feeling of having grandchildren washed over her. This old lady whose time was about to run out had finally experienced this particular feeling. Crystalline tears of joy escaped her eyes, leaving a transparent sparking trail behind on her wrinkled cheeks.

_Finally…_

Meanwhile the husband and wife had already made their way to the two babies snuggling against each other on the bed. It was such an adorable sight. The maroon-haired had a small chubby hand outstretched towards his twin, who was staring at him intently with those jade eyes of his.

"_Nii-chan!~_" the silver-eyed called out in excitement, happy to see his brother. He doesn't know why, the word just... _registered_ in his head.

The redhead returned a big smile to his younger sibling, whom he'd just known. "_Ototo!~_" he exclaimed joyfully in reply, though the pronunciation was... wrong? He stretched his hand out in response to the maroon's action, their fingertips touching one another. Seeing this sight made their parents' hearts melt and an "aww" sound escape their lips.

"Look, Angela, the left twin has such fine red hair! It's just like a lion, so much abundance of hair with red - compassion and love," the man pointed out to the still-smiling green-eyed. "Let's name him Lavi - it means lion in Hebrew language." His wife nodded in agreement. "About the other twin..." The knowledgeable man seemed to be at a loss of words.

"Allen," a small soft voice escaped her throat.

"What?" He obviously didn't catch that. Such a klutz. She chuckled to herself upon the blank response given. "Allen," she repeated her speech, louder this time round. "I believe he will grow into a handsome man in future. Pay attention next time, Mana!"

A smirked formed on her face. "I might not repeat my words next time." A glint of mischief shone in her sapphire eyes. "Hey!" the man shouted in protest, playing along.

"What if one of them gets chosen to be the Diva?" the cracked, old voice of the grandmother piped up. Immediately the laughter turned into utter silence. The only thing that could be heard were the two infants' breathing.

A few minutes of silence later, Angela slowly got up, careful not to trigger any more pain. She tardily made her way over to the wooden dressing table, pulled a drawer open and extracted two rings and a roll of silver thread from it. The man Mana was astounded upon seeing what his wife was doing.

"But Angela, dear, aren't those your most... unique rings?"

The rings were adorned with carved exquisite designs, embedded with the most intricate designs ever. These pair of rings were custom-made, and it cost a hefty sum. Angela smiled in bliss.

Yes, it was a gift from her beloved friend, right before becoming a Diva. Images of the times they spent together flashed through her mind as quick as a lightning bolt. Indeed, she was a fine woman who was talented in every way, which led the court to choose her to be the next Diva. She had given these rings to her, in the hope that one day they would meet again.

Sadly, though, she passed on before she knew it. The dragon had grew tired of her and had gotten rid of her. That was... quite a while ago. Tears descended from her azure eyes as she thought of those times.

_It was definitely worth it._

With the silver thread, she threaded one ring through the big loops in the center area, forming necklaces with the ring as the pendant. She then walked towards her sons, placed the necklaces on their necks and secure it with a quick movement of the fingers.

"With this the twins will stay bonded, forever and always."

* * *

_How should the world be?_

_What was the shape of the world?_

_What is the reason for the current state of the world?_

_In a world containing such distortion, is there eternal prosperity, eternal happiness...?_

As he carried and placed back several luxuriously bound books, the black-haired scholar breathed a sigh as he brushed his hair off his grim face, still debating over these simple yet complicated questions.

The bookshelf in front of him could not possibly hold any more books, judging from the looks of it, being so tightly packed already like sardines packed closely together in a tin. Some spines of the books that were sorted out according to fixed subjects were faded and burnt by the sun rays due to constant use, while others were swept over, taken out and read only halfway. He inhaled the air mixed with slight moldiness and without hesitation, placed a tan-skinned hand on the shelf.

In there, only documents that contained what the empire validated as "the correct way" for how the world ought to be stored. On the other side, libraries that contained the underside of history were deeply hidden, only few people being able to gaze upon the yellowed pages.

The prosperity and good harvests of this world were brought along by a miracle that came to rest on this land. That was the being called "dragon", for which the people living in this chosen land elevated songs in order to offer their prayers and gratitude for his existence. That was the accepted view of society on how the story of Divas arose. As a tale that one would be told repeatedly since childhood, it became effectively imprinted into their minds and no one ever questioned the state of the world, already knowing the answers.

Which was a technique well suited to impregnate a sense of being the "chosen ones".

These people were granted the sense of being "the lucky chosen ones" by the almighty god of the empire - maybe even the world -called the "dragon" and with the pre-constituted belief of the Divas as revered beings that existed for its sake, and anyone who raises an objection will be rejected as a religious outcast.

And thus, the condition of this particular political theory had become completely warped up. The world he lived in and the people around him were prompt enough to bare their fangs already when one starts to object the answer given right from the start, that doing things like questioning the state of the world was absolutely pointless.

"_...Truly, everything is warped."_

In the room ruled by silence, those words that were supposed to be uttered were however replaced with a loud sigh.

The scholar knew. In this deflected earth, if one mentions something other than the instilled structure of the world, the closer that statement was nearing reality, the faster that risk factor was going to be rejected by the court. While being buried in the darkness, they will find out that it was that hard to reach reality theory.

In a sedate manner, the scholar brushed his long fingers along the side of the big scholar-like book he was holding under his arm. Only that volume had its binding blackened and ruined on the edges.

The writings of the scholar's grandfather filled completely the yellow pages as it seem to fade away, along with the sun.

Those words, which could not prevent a bitter smile creeping over to his lips when he thought of them as skilled writings despite being just normal scribbles, were those of the only proof his grandfather had once lived, and close to a final sense of defiance to the world that had erased him away from the masterpiece of life.

Among the many things that had being disposed of, only this had escaped its disposing fate. It also represented the will entrusted as the very last wit of his grandfather.

_How is the world?_

The awareness of the world through philosophy, the danger of causing much disorderliness, and the blind faith of humans entrusted to the dragon; those allowed the distortion of the world and its inhabitants, even leading to the recognition of that as the usual form of things. In this world slowly losing its balance, the people did not once doubt that the temporary peace in the surroundings would ever continue.

The scholar composedly raised an eyebrow. He probably wouldn't doubt that as well, if his circumstances were different.

If he didn't even have the words of his mother, who laughed despite feeling dishonored.

If he didn't have the will his grandfather left behind.

"_Did you say… good? Saying this is useless. In the world there are no absolutes. There is no such thing as a promised wealth."_

Grief accompanied the words muttered while he gazed at the illustrations of a book of the innocent faith written for children.

Why had his mother said such harsh things? It was doubtful, from her expression itself as he looked up to her, that she would just simply ask "Why?"; afterwards, the scholar has read several documents, searching for the meaning of those words revealed within just a short time.

Knowledge rushed into his mind like quaking rivers and seas, and soon he began to doubt the overly perfected propaganda, at which point he finally reached out for the book left behind by his grandfather on his mother's side of the family.

That wasn't just a volume of handwriting.

Not a book, but a registry.

It was a ripple that sounded a bell in the state of the world.

Even though it was easy to dismiss it as worthless trash, for the ones who knew the truth it was nothing less than an amazing miracle. Hence...

"Why are you spacing out in a place like this?"

A high-pitched clear, feminine voice reached the ears of the scholar, snapping him out of his thoughts.

A small girl, dressed in priestly robes in warm colours, gazed at him. In contrast to her sweet smile, her eyes were icy-cold.

The scholar also narrowed his black eyes at her.

"Ah, Meilin-sama." He hailed her out of sheer respect.

As a way of reply, the underage priestess called Meilin gave a small nod and calmly approached him.

"Something on your mind?"

"No... If I have to put into words, I was thinking about... _things _that break down the everyday wisdom."

The scholar's words intensified the coldness in Meilin's eyes.

Even though she faced those words seemingly with an ultimate intent to irritate her with a facade of coldness, the girl's inner thoughts were not even calm at all.

Even among her fellow priests, this particular priestess named Meilin was particularly devoted to this oppressive faith. He could just simply name it as _"blind faith"_, but even though the scholar repeatedly disagreed with her way of thinking, he had always half-admired in amazement the strength of that one thing: _faith_.

How was he even able to believe to _that_ sort of extent?

No, that wasn't it. Unlike the ignorant masses, as a priestess, as one of those defining the world, small, little Meilin was someone who knew about quietly burying those who would menace that Weltanschauung.

Even if the world followed a path traced by common opinion, it was a fact, that some would question the state of the world and follow misbelievers' beliefs as outsiders. Theirs was merely a hidden existence.

"That's dangerous talk."

"Really?"

"Yes... I think it is talk better left unmentioned in a place like this." Her head swayed softly as she started to rebuke him, her brown plaits swaying about.

"Then, in what sort of place would you speak of this?" His reply was an earnest question. With every of the scholar's words, her head again tilted to another side this time.

"You mean...?" A confused look painted her face.

"To say it clearly, _where_ in this world is the kind of place where it would be possible to be mentioned?"

The next words to escape from the scholar's lips clearly portrayed his intent to actually _criticize _her. Naturally, the girl would hold her breath, a frown decorating her face.

It felt like every sound had been cut off in an instant. In that utter silence, which made it seem like only the two of them existed, the scholar chuckled to himself.

"To investigate the truth. If that is what you do for life as a scholar, it's of course, a wonderful thing."

The clear voice had not even been affected, yet as an answer to the scholar's question, the words were only _somehow_ connected.

"And if, for example, you as a scholar created a hypothesis and we actually interfered with that?"

"Which means?"

"Just as I said. Because it seems like you harbor some prejudice against us." The scholar softly shook his head looking at Meilin, who shrugged as if she was stumped herself.

The thought actually crossed his mind that _she_ was actually the hopelessly prejudiced one, _not him_.

Or maybe, he realized, they were _both_ prejudiced against each other, as her words suggested.

"Meilin-sama."

As he hesitated, having just said her name, Meilin surveyed their surroundings, as if something had just caught her attention.

The sound of footsteps was approaching. This was a library, where anyone could enter once certified as a person of a certain position. For the both of them, being overheard by an unrelated third party was absolutely not beneficial at all.

"This is it, then."

At that voice mixed with a loud sigh, the scholar came to his senses and grabbed the arm of the young priestess, who was about to leave. As she momentarily lost balance and stumbled, Meilin's pumps made a blatant loud sound.

"What are you doing?" she spluttered out in surprise.

"Would you stay for a little while?" His very soothing tone overlapped her tone of mixed with surprise and some displeasure. But when she felt the grip on her arm tighten to a certain extent, Meilin nodded.

"There's something I'd like to ask you, since you are a high-ranked priestess."

"What is it?"

"Is abundance promised to us for eternity being the existent basis of the world? And are we really the chosen ones?"

"..."

The words of the scholar, spoken in a sincere tone, were met by just silence. Perhaps at a loss of words, Meilin inclined her head, her beautiful eyebrows curled up in a small frown.

"I'd like to hear your thoughts on this matter."

For some reason, those words he added carried a sense of panic. She smiled, finding that ambiguous. As she faced down, her smile went unseen by the tall scholar.

"My thoughts?"

"Yes."

"Right...as a member of the conclave, I... would say _'yes'_ to your questions. We rest on an abundance promised to us for eternity. We have been chosen by the god called the "dragon", and receive the blessing of that wealth. The Empire and the priests that serve it, teach that tenet to the people. This one doctrine is given as the way of all things."

"Then…" The scholar was deep in thought, "as an individual?"

"My thoughts as an individual?"

Meilin tiptoed and raised her face as she met the scholar's black irises. The words the priestess said with a sweet smile on her small thin lips were to her, perfectly natural, but for the scholar it was pretty hard to comprehend.

"I have no thoughts as an individual."

"What?" Unable to grasp her meaning, his voice reflected his bewilderment.

"I am a priestess. Before being myself, I am a priestess who administers the furor of the dragon. I retain no thoughts as, in your words, an individual."

"Well... About that..." The scholar can't seem to grasp a single word.

"It's difficult for me to understand what you are trying to say. I don't know why you are _so_ concentrated about changing the ideas regarding the world."

"You...!"

"You are just _trapped_ by your own views, and unable to accept how the world is today."

The scholar shook his head slowly at that assertion. As if to deny Meilin's words; as if to make sure of where he was actually standing.

A long strand of his neatly arranged hair fell from his shoulder, ruining his neat scholarly look.

Still with a smile on her lips, Meilin observed the handsome face of the scholar who stood much taller than her; her eyes then turned to the books he carried under his arm.

Between the tomes, there was something that wasn't a book.

When she unconsciously extended a hand towards it, the scholar stepped away before she could even had a slight brush of a contact with it.

"The world has lost its ability to purify itself. After the purification, abundance is promised. How can it be the correct state of things to take a world where a cycle that linked together destruction and prosperity existed, and forcibly break apart purification and destruction, trying to hold on solely to just abundance?"

In those words was the truth he had found great difficulty to find out, examining various documents, starting with the book inherited from his grandfather.

Originally, the world was capable of purifying itself, and abundance and prosperity were granted as companions to destruction. After destruction, there was regeneration; after prosperity, there was a great decline. Like the relationship between light and darkness, like a cycle, the world had an interconnected existence.

In the past, when people flourished and then exhausted their magnificence, the world declined. After the decline, signs of ruins arrived, and before long, the land regained its abundance.

A "dragon", the great power that administered ruin and destruction, was bound to exist. The people and national powers that repeatedly fought and became impoverished, and the air and land polluted in the midst of those struggles, were bound to be equally restored after their ruin.

When everything, regardless of things like social status, returned to nothing, the survivors would go on living in a newly purified land; that was the original form of things.

"If you thought about what you are saying... You have become obsessed with those delusions."

"Forcibly distorting the ways in which the world purified itself, focusing solely on drawing out abundance in a mistaken form, and misrepresenting everything for the sake of temporary public peace; isn't that a mistake?"

"...You..."

"We have only taken from the original way of the world the forces that were convenient for us, and even though abundance was supposed to be intertwined with destruction caused by the great being called the "dragon", we forcibly separated them, getting reality all mixed up. Then, we taught ourselves to think that we are the chosen ones, and for that reason, peace is going to last forever."

"What are you trying to say?" he demanded.

"The eternity that you priests and the Empire speak of is currently resting on precarious and fragile foundations. The world built upon this distortion will someday break."

"You say such foolish things."

"Really?" Meilin's sinister smile was gone and she replied with clear displeasure.

"I'd like to ask you once more."

The scholar took another step distancing himself from Meilin and threw his question at her.

"The eternity you priests speak of. That eternal prosperity... isn't that a corruption that pretends to be eternity, distorting and avoiding the world?"

The words were indirect but also precise.

Only the soft sound of Meilin's breathing reached the scholar, her face was tilted downwards and couldn't be seen. The silence as he waited for an answer was painful to his ears.

"Corruption...? Your ideas really are hard to understand. If that were the case, if I say that, then everything is equally as you say."

The young priestess's face was expressionless as she slowly looked up.

"I don't understand how you managed to reach the truth. Nevertheless, you have been reading the documents regarding the dragon that sleeps in the depths of our country, haven't you?"

She was referring to the source of the current prosperity of the Empire. Those documents where unknown writers recorded the period when the great being called dragon was chained to the land, and a system was put on place to draw out the force of abundance.

Indeed, the scholar had seen those records that were tightly guarded to keep them out of the public.

"Then, you should understand. We are all receiving a blessing, in this world you call distorted."

"...Meilin-san," the scholar began.

"The one receiving that blessing and living in this world can't raise an objection."

"Because you and me both are living to share the blessing born out of that distortion." These words made the scholar frown.

"No one has raised an objection."

Those words declared with similarity faded away in the silence. The thought of questioning this came to the scholar's mind, and then vanished; a strange feeling took over him, as if he was vainly struggling in midair.

The answer the priestess had admitted regarding the current state of the world had been the positive proof he wanted. The existence of the "dragon" as described by the doctrine was not at all its real form. It hadn't been directly put into words, but her earlier reply was the same as an affirmation.

Even though the answer he had been looking for was clearly within his grasp, the scholar felt like he was being dragged into a dark place.

"And in the case of the Divas?"

"Hm...?"

"If we pretend there is someone that can raise an objection, would that be the Diva that is risking their life maintaining the equilibrium of this distorted world on her own?"

The Divas are the beings that bear the exalted role of offering songs to the "dragon". They are the pillars of the plan crafted in antiquity, binding the "dragon" with songs. Since the creation of the Empire to the present, there was existed one, supporting the distorted world, despite knowing she had no chance of going back.

If one was chosen as a Diva,

no return was possible. As beings turned into sacrifices for a blessing that they don't share, wouldn't they be able to raise an objection?

"The Divas haven't ever complained."

"Why?"

"Because they became willingly the beings offering songs and prayers to the dragon."

She paused. "There are no complains, obviously."

"...Meilin-san."

"However, I feel sad. It is because you have faith that your wish to see the documents regarding the original form of the world was bound to be granted. Despite that, in this way, you are thinking only about defying the current conventional wisdom of the world. This must make your father sad."

The scholar couldn't help but laugh at those words.

For better or for worse?

Just as Meilin said, despite seeking how the world should be, until that day, he had managed to avoid being condemned as a heretic. If he didn't submit to the ones in power, he was likely to follow the same road of the other scholars, such as his grandfather, who had been swiftly condemned as heretics up until then.

"Maybe it's inevitable."

When his quietly uttered words were met with a suspicious glance, the scholar laughed.

The blessing born of the separation from the shape that was originally meant to be, had already started to collapse. He was confident that cracks were silently appearing in this distorted system. There was no positive proof, but if one accepted that this was inevitable, he could consider the fact that he was still denouncing the current state of the world without being eliminated as the first example that proved it.

The world was slowly headed for a severe collapse from the start.

"You intend to go through with that to the end, while still staying close to the ones in power."

Perhaps guessing the real meaning of the scholar's laugh, Meilin shook her head and spoke with a resigned tone.

"Do you want to die?"

The words reflected no malice, they were just a question.

"Who wants to die? I'm the same as the ones who have been questioning the world until now."

"...Kanda-sama, someday you'll regret this."

Meilin cast down her eyes, and her voice shook a little as she said those words; her expression was too complex for the scholar to decipher.

"Then, I shall live, pretending that this choice was never once classified as a mistake."

"Do as you see fit."

The unthinkable creeps near silently. Even if he was unimportant in the scheme of things, if he turned into that first example, it could be a sign of an approaching disaster or change in the world.

Is the current state of the world right or wrong? The answer was brought forth as a clear and natural result, in a not so distant place.

As the distortion grew bigger, two people were feeling in the edge of their hearts how the creaking world was starting to break its silence.

Back in the throne room of the castle, the small priestess Meilin stomped her way towards the throne and sat. As she received a letter, she opened it and read the contents. A menacing smile filled her face.

Menace, yes, that was what the kingdom was all about. If only that scholar had realised that...

"Guards!"

Armoured men burst into the throne room, equipped with swords and shields. She pointed towards the southern direction.

"Search for Allen Walker! Now!"

* * *

The pair were still cooing softly to their newborn children, now clad in ivory-coloured baby jumpers, with the old granny sitting on a rocking chair, humming a soft cheery tune while knitting something. As Angela picked up Allen, she stared into his silvery eyes, then turning her head to look at Lavi, overwhelmed with worry.

What if it was true...?

What if... either one of them becomes a Diva?

Being a Diva, to sing for the mythical king that ruled the country for eternity, with hardly any replenishment every single day.

This was an unspoken fable in which everyone knew about. Everybody had feared for this mere chance; to get chosen.

Singing for eternity, until they lose their voices and die... This simple fathomable matter seemed so easy, yet oh, so complicated.

Gazing at the kitchen, her blue eyes rested on a jar of cookies.

_Cookie._

She would use that to comfort her babies, she had decided. Allen seems to have taken a liking to chocolate. Lavi loves biscuits regardless of flavour, that's what was found out not too long ago. Reaching out for the jar with a free hand, she popped the lid open and within moments she had a random cookie in her grasp.

Chocolate. _What a coincidence_.

If either Allen or Lavi were chosen, then... the best thing to do is to make their last moments enjoyable. Breaking the small biscuit into half, she passed one to Allen, and the other, Lavi.

Allen happily munched on the biscuit, satisfying himself with the chocolatey taste, while Lavi took small nibbles. As the redhead looked at his silver-eyed twin, he stopped his actions for a moment, before offering his share to Allen.

The maroon-haired looked at Lavi in surprise, then shook his head vigorously, as if he was saying, "No, nii-chan, you take it."

The motherly figure smiled upon the sight of her children. How cute and... _considerate_ they were. _Did she even use the right words?_ The twins were way beyond simple description.

"Knock knock knock," an abrupt noise echoed from the doorway.

The old grandmother stood up, carefully placing her knitting work on the rocking chair, before going to the door and opening it. Imagine her surprise when she came face-to-face with iron helmets! She stood still, endlessly gasping at what kind of prank is this, putting fake guards to scare an elderly woman. Shock hit her when one of the iron figures actually moved and talked!

"Excuse me, we're looking for Allen Walker."

The imperial guard's voice boomed so loud that even Angela and Mana could hear. Worried about why they were after his son, both parents rushed out to the door.

"We're his parents. Why are you looking for our son?"

The next few words made them appalled to the core. Their worst fear has come true.

_"Allen Walker has been chosen to be the next Diva."_

* * *

"No! You don't understand!" Angela screamed as she tried to pull the guards back from taking Allen. The babies were also wailing loudly in fright.

"C'mon, you have twins; surely you can't just give me one?" The guard mocked, obviously getting annoyed.

"NO!" the mother hollered. She grabbed the guard by his shoulder and bit him in the bare neck, just like how a vampire would do it. The guard yelped in pain as he tried to swat the now furious mother out of his way.

The old granny tried her best to pull another guard back. However the man was too strong for the old lady and within a single flick on her forehead she fell onto the wooden floor, a number of bones breaking in the process. Blood spurted out of her mouth as her eyes remained ghostly white, her body not moving even an inch anymore.

Mana was defending Allen from the other guards. He kept flinging his arms and legs around him wildly in an attempt to shoo them away. Alas, a guard manages to pin his arms to his sides, another keeping the legs firmly still. The last guard smirked at Mana as he picked baby Allen in his arms, his maroon hair disheveled, tears cascading down his ashen pale cheeks like a waterfall.

"_Nii-chan_!" Allen wailed in his hysterical high-pitched scream as he was being taken away. Lavi must've noticed too, because at the same time he yelled "_Otouto_!" Panic clouded the redhead's face as tears erupted in his green orbs, flowing down his pallid cheeks. His hand was being outstretched as if he was desperately trying to grab his brother back from these silver men. The piece of chocolate cookie slipped from the grey-eyed baby's grasp and crashed onto the floor, breaking into pieces.

"Allen! NO!" Angela screamed hysterically as she witnessed Allen being carried out of the door.

"Mama! Papa!..." His voice faded off into nothingness. All that remained on the carpet were the crumbs of the remaining cookie the baby had yet to finish.

"Why?" Angela fell to her knees. "Why? What have we done to deserve this!" She buried her face in her knees and cried. For the rest of the night, the room was filled with cries, sobs, saddened souls.

Baby Lavi clutched the ring pendant given to him earlier on. His pale frame started to tremble with disbelief.

_Why? _

_Why was my twin being taken away...?_

_Why is Granny on the floor with red stuff coming out of her mouth? She looks like a... a ghost!_

_Why are Papa and Mama crying?_

_What on earth was happening?_

So many things were flooding his small little head, he thought it could burst any moment.

As the answers slowly registered in his head, he then screamed in agonising pain...

Granny was gone.

Allen was taken away by guards.

Mana and Angela were crying over their losses.

Their only hope was the rings that would bond the twins together for life.

Yes, this is how life is, filled with sinister intents and sadistic people who were misbelievers.

They didn't believe in God.

And now, God has given the innocent clergies this in return for Man's selfish acts.


	2. The Divas

**Synchronicity**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own D. Gray Man nor Vocaloid's Synchronicity storyline.  
**

**All unknown characters that appear in this story belongs to me, and only me.  
**

**Summary:**

It was the time for another Diva to be chosen, to please the dragon. Alas, Allen was chosen to be the one. Years later, his twin brother Lavi goes out in search of his brother, with a ring necklace as his only hope. Will he be able to rescue his twin from his tragic fate?

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Divas**

* * *

The sobs lasted for the entire night. Only Lavi managed to calm down, though, however the loss of his twin brother remained in his heart. The emptiness in the hole in his heart lingered around him being, as if it was accompanying him.

It was like missing jigsaw pieces of his life puzzle piece. He had lost his life bond and his elderly grandmother whom he had seen for only a few hours, probably his sanity too.

Lavi somehow figured out how to use his little baby limbs and he began to crawl, inch by inch, to his parents, who were still lamenting over their losses. He inclined his head to the left, examining the situation around him.

His parents were huddled together as they cried for their lost kin. Mana had pulled Angela in his arms and was now consoling his wife as thin streams of water decorated his slightly wrinkled face, while Angela covered her bleached face with her pale hands and wailed. It seemed to go on forever.

And ever.

Thoughts flashed through his mind, like a torchlight being switched on again.

_Would I be able to see Otouto once again?_

_Will he be alive...?_

_God, please have mercy on Otouto!_

_He is innocent!..._

_Argh! Otouto, you have to live! Someday, I'll rescue you!_

_We will live and die together, as one bond, together and forever!_

_I have lost Obaasan already, I cannot afford to lose you!_

The more he thought about his twin brother, the more distressed he felt. Water filled his eyes once more and overflowed, trickling down his cheeks at a furious pace like a thin waterfall. A sniffle escaped his nose as he started bawling out loud again. His emerald eyes shone with the aid of the tears, however in reality they were extremely dull with loneliness.

"Where are you, _Otouto_!" he screamed in his little head, setting his melancholy emotions free from suppression. All that came out from his mouth was an ear-piercing wail, for the baby had yet to learn how to speak proper words. Oh, how he longed to see his brother ever again, though he was not really certain if he would remember his twin as time passes by.

He looked down at the necklace with watery eyes of dejection. Knowing that there was absolutely nothing that he could do now in this situation, he stretched out his arms and wrapped them around Mana's waist, squeezing it as tightly as he could. Water trickled down his cheeks and dripped onto the silver-coloured ring pendant. As the droplet crashed against the metallic ring violently, it became damp with water, allowing a refraction of light to shine brightly on it. It let off a blinding glimmer under the moonlight that streamed in through the window.

Like a ray of light.

_Like a ray of hope…_

Slowly, the trio's cries and sobs hushed down into soft breathing as they succumbed into a well-deserved slumber. Tiredness embraced them, one by one, until their eyelids closed. Their bodies fell onto the wooden planks of the floor with a soft "thud" as they lost control over their exhausted bodies. Lavi was the last to fall asleep. He held his comatose father close, feeling insecure for it was the very first night he was going to spend in the human world. He hugged his father's bony waist tightly, like a bolster that he would never want to let go for eternity. He took a quick glance at his mother, who was already fast asleep in Mana's arms, the warmth resonating from his body. He could feel it as well.

She looked like an angel, her peaceful yet pained expression painted on her face, the already dried up tears streams stuck on her pallid cheeks. Deep down inside her fragile heart, she had became a fallen angel. Lavi felt waves of worry engulf him, before it was being replaced by fatigue.

"_Oyasumi_, papa and mama…" he murmured in a whisper as he drifted into a deep sleep.

"_Oyasumi… Otouto…_"

His little eyelids closed down on his bright jade eyes as he fell into a deep sleep. The last thing he saw was the fire blazing away at the fireplace brightly, the flames producing sharp crackling sounds, before being shunned away from the rest of the world in yet another new world of darkness.

* * *

Lavi awoke to find himself on a blank space of white. Small little fluffy circles appeared before his eyes. These small circles were going downwards endlessly, like snow.

Wait, this _is_ snow, Lavi realized.

He looked up. The sky was of a murky black colour, decorated with an endless number of small white dots. Behind the white snow falling from the night sky heights, the redhead could see the big circular shape of the moon hanging high up in the sky, carved with grey-coloured craters. It was indeed a breathtaking sight.

_Wait a minute…_

_Why am I out here in the cold? Have I finally gone crazy and started to sleepwalk? At this age…?_

_Come to think of it, it really doesn't feel cold at all - !_

His thoughts were interrupted at a familiar shade of maroon in front of his eyes. Through the dense layer of snow…

_Is it… a person…?_

The small child squinted his eyes to get a more focused view, placing a hand above his eyes to shade the two from the snow. As if on cue, the "person" turned around, allowing a gasp to escape from the green-eyed child's small mouth.

_Otouto…? Is that… my otouto…?_

The maroon-haired person smiled warmly and held up a necklace pendant attached to his thread necklace.

_A silver ring._

There was no doubt about those silvery orbs

"_Otouto_?" Lavi called out, feeling euphoric. "_Otouto_!" His high-pitched squeak rang out as clearly as a bell, chiming with ebullience. Overjoyed, the redhead bounded towards his little brown-haired brother, each step strongly radiating with pure enthusiasm. He noticed that both of them were not in their baby form anymore, but in a small child state. His _otouto_ Allen did not even move an inch – he only stood there, his arms outstretched, welcoming his big brother in his arms, that warmhearted smile still tugging at his pale lips.

The wind grew stronger, blowing towards Lavi's front. Allen's eyes had turned from a kind and welcoming soul into a terrified being. Small scarlet droplets danced in the air before him. Lavi's emerald irises seemed to have shrunk into a much smaller size as he took notice of his younger twin brother's petrified face. A sharp, pointy tip poked Lavi in the stomach, as if it was threatening him not to move or else something unfortunate would happen. Slowly realizing what was happening, the green-eyed boy howled in sheer agony, his face and red hair being stained by the white snow and the florid crimson of Allen's blood.

"_La…vi… nii-ch...an…_" A whisper escaped those quivering ghastly lips before the maroon-haired boy finally collapsed onto the floor. The sharp weapon that pierced through the small boy disappeared, before revealing an enormous dark shadow behind the fallen boy, with bright, mysterious golden orbs shining like stars under the moonlight before eventually disappearing into wisps of jet black mist, leaving the twins alone.

Lavi turned his attention to his dying twin, who was struggling for breath. He fell to his knees and attempted to tend to Allen's wound. Hemoglobin leaked out from his torso wound at a furious rate, tainting the original pure white snow into a painting of red. Allen began hacking up blood, never once seeming to end. The vital fluids sailed about in midair, meandering about with the white snow in slow motion, some trickling down from his mouth. _Everything looks like as if they were all going slow_, Lavi realized.

_Why? Why is this happening?_

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a sudden warm contact on his cheek, gasping out loud at the same time. His long fingers momentarily stopped their work on the bleeding wound. Allen had his pearly hand placed on Lavi's face, with a thin smile on his face.

_Allen… why do you keep smiling, even in the depths of danger…?_

"I… don't want you to get hurt…" A familiar voice resounded in his head. Lavi blinked.

_Allen…? Is that you?_

"Live happily with all the time that you have." A bright, cheerful smile accompanied that sentence. The world seemed to be lit up in a warm transparent light as that smile brought a strange peaceful feeling, filling Lavi's entire being with waves of assurance. Lavi panicked.

_Wh-what are you talking about! Don't die on me, otouto!_

_No! You can't leave me! I'm your brother; you are supposed to live with me no matter what!_

"No… Allen…" He turned pale. _This is going to happen anytime soon…_

"I love you,_ nii-chan_," the brown-haired boy murmured in a hoarse whisper, his eyelids closing down on his silver pools like curtain binds.

That was it.

Within milliseconds, the warmth on his cheek abruptly turned icy cold. The blanched hand became limp and fell onto Lavi's fabric jeans that wrapped his legs. Those pools of silver were hidden by ashen eyelids, never to be opened once again for eternity.

_Asleep, never to be awakened, ever again._

Those long fingers trembled at the sight of the now asleep being in front of them. They had failed to do their duty well. A distinct metallic smell wafted through the snowy atmosphere, seemingly able to inject tension in everyone who comes in contact with it.

With a great outburst of sorrowful energy, Lavi screamed out a long-lasting wail. His entire body shook violently, squeezing his eyelids shut. Not long after, his high-pitched scream quietened down to simple sobs. "_Otouto_…" he called out in a quavering voice as he shook his body with his long fingers. "_Otouto_… Please, wake up!" he persisted, his voice showing signs of defiance. As the hurtful truth sank deeper into him, he shut his eyes firmly once again, forcing them to rain droplets once more.

"No!" he vociferated as he buried his face in his brother's still, frosty chest and wept, still unable to accept reality.

When he looked up again, his twin's body was wrapped in a white, misty veil, shining ever so brightly wherever it went. Slowly his legs became blended in the mist and disappeared into part of the white nebulous glow.

The already pale-ish colour of his skin became drained on his face, drawing in a sharp breath into his slightly ajar lips. He became light-headed almost immediately as shock overwhelmed his being, freezing it, but regained his senses soon after. His forest green eyes were filled with trepidation and despair. Somehow his heartbeat seemed to beat at a surprisingly fast rate. He unconsciously brought his hands up to his face, his face now being painted only a masterpiece of pure horror.

"Allen…?"

He soon realized what was happening. Refusing to lose to the natural mist, the redhead desperately hugged his brother's lifeless frame and cried. Blood gushed out of the stomach wound from the back, leaving a gigantic pool of blood that has been accumulating till now.

"No! Don't take him away from me! Please!"

As the mop of maroon hair disappeared into nothingness, all that remained on the ground was a sole silver ring and the crimson that had tainted the snow. Lavi picked up the shiny grey jewelry and brought it to his heart. Water dripped from his eyes to the ring.

"Allen," he muttered in between sobs.

"No…" he cried to himself.

Facing the night sky, he screamed.

"_OTOUTO_!..."

* * *

"_Otouto_!" the baby screamed as he woke up. Tears stained his fair-skinned cheeks. The screamed was followed by endless wails soon after. His limbs were flinging about, his curled-up fist suddenly hitting his now drowsy father in the face. Pain shot up Mana's face as he came in contact with the impact of the fist punch and he cried out in pain, fully aroused due to the sudden jolt of pain that spread through his face.

Now he was _definitely_ awake. "Ouch…" he murmured as he sat up groaning, rubbing his nose. Hearing his son's wails, he turned to Lavi, who was just beside him bawling at the top of his lungs. He was repeating some word in the process, Mana realized. As he strained his still slightly blocked out ears to listen to Lavi's crying, he could make out a word: otouto.

_Otouto…? … Allen!_

_Did he just have a nightmare?_

There was a moan as sounds of shuffling on the floor could be heard. The mother slowly sat up and stretched herself groggily, letting out a yawn at the same time. As the wails fell upon her ears, they perked up automatically as their attention was being caught. "Lavi? What happened?" she asked anxiously, her eyes containing genuine concern.

"It seemed that he just had a nightmare," Mana replied, now carrying the squirming red-haired baby in his arms and stroking his back, assuring him that everything is fine. The ring pendant that hung from the baby's neck flew about as they responded to Lavi's violent swinging. Suddenly the sobs had their volume lowered and Lavi stopped wriggling in his father's lithe arms. Angela caught sight of the baby slowly calming down and heaved a sigh of relief. Lavi then looked up at his father's mustached face and stared at him with those big, bright green eyes of his.

Silence. Then, his little thin lips began to tremble.

"Papa… _Otouto_… he… he was killed!" Lavi suddenly screamed out, tears forming in his eyes once again. Thankfully, this time round he only broke out in softer sobs. Really, his cries were waking up the whole village. Mana glanced at the clock that hung high on the wall opposite him. It was about four in the morning. Yes, people would start waking up at about this time, but for babies…

_Wait a minute, did Lavi just… talk?_

"L-lavi…" the fatherly figure stuttered. "Did you just… spoke?"

Lavi nodded in between his sobs. Mana was filled with much disbelief. A newborn… _talking_? That was a rare yet amazing encounter. Maybe the twins are indeed a blessing from God Himself.

Pushing those amazed thoughts out of his head, Mana stroked Lavi's short, red hair. "You should go back to sleep, Lavi. It's too early."

Mana stood up with Lavi still crying in his arms, walked to the big cot in the next room which was originally meant for the twins, and then gently placed Lavi on the soft mattress in the cot. The husband and wife – and the grandmother – had gone out to buy the big cot at a nearby baby shop not long after the twins were introduced to humanity. He gave a warm smile as he grabbed a blanket and laid it over the baby.

"Papa…"

"Yes, Lavi?" He looked into his son's emerald eyes.

"Will I ever see… _otouto_ ever again…?"

Mana blinked as he was being taken aback. Will Allen ever come back, he asked himself. Being a Diva is a tragic fate, with many entrances, but no exit. Once the dragon grows tired of the person whom it had been blessed with, a road would open up to a cliff, a dead end.

Death.

However, he did not want Lavi to have even the slightest inch of worry affect his still immature mind, and so he said, "Someday, Lavi. Someday."

Being comforted by his father's answer, Lavi snuggled into the blankets and shut his eyes as he fell asleep once again. The flow of tears ceased as the baby lost himself in the world of Dreamland, a small hopeful smile forming on his lips.

_Someday, otouto…_

* * *

Checking that his things were packed for his journey one last time, he took a last glance at the sleeping redhead before closing his suitcase. He flung on a black jacket, with two tails flying about behind. Grabbing a top hat in the closet, he adjusted its position on his head before picking up his suitcase. Angela looked at him with worry as she embraced him for probably the last time.

"Mana… are you sure you want to do this…?" she asked, her voice muffled due to the fact that her face was buried in Mana's shoulder. As she loosened her grip and pulled herself away from him, he placed a gloved hand on her cheek and smiled.

"Yes… For our family's sake… For you, for Lavi…"

Mana smiled at his wife. For the first time ever in her life, Angela had wondered if that smile of his was true or not. Whether he had done it just to give her a sense of affirmation or he really meant it, it was still yet to be known. "Don't fret, I'll be back with Allen, I promise. We will live as one happy family again, and nurture our children to grow up into excellent people. Look, Lavi has already been able to speak, although this is only his second day here. I'm sure Allen will be like him too."

"So, they will grow up very fast and before you know it, they have already become accomplished people excelling in the education field…"

Mana continued rambling on and on about the future of the twins after Allen comes back when suddenly a finger was placed on his lips, as a gesture to keep quiet. "Alright Mana, I already understand," a moderately-pitched feminine voice spoke out. Angela then let go of Mana and saw him off at the door.

"Remember to bring Allen back, okay?" the mother called out. Mana turned his head around and nodded with confidence, the stray strand of hair waving about in his face as he did so.

As his being disappeared into the hustle and bustle of the village, the woman could only sigh and pray for her husband, wishing for every success in his "son retrieval mission".

_Good luck, Mana…_

_We'll be waiting for you… Send us a letter should there be any updates…_

_Please… bring Allen back… God, I pray to you that my husband can succeed in this mission. Please bless him with all the luck and strength he needs in order to succeed…_

* * *

_As one walks into the palace throne room, he will be able to feel the power that emanates from the throne itself. The throne, being a high back chair made of a deep dark oak finish with a red velvet cushion, sits at the top of a three stepped platform which just adds to the prestige of power that he feel. The rest of the room looks to be the same as the rest of the keep. High windows, many tapestries hung from the walls as well as a crackling fire blazing away in fireplaces situated at both sides of the room to warm it on those cold and dismal winter nights._

_One will feel ultimate power radiating from the ruler sitting on the oak chair. It is indeed a frightening aura_–

"Yuu, what are you doing?" the scholar Kanda asked his son sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed leg for support. Well… more like an _adoptive_ son. The little boy Yuu hastily shut the book he was reading and hid it under his bed, panic radiating from his body in the form of heat. Sweat trickled down his head from the temples.

"N-nothing, father," he stuttered nervously in a noble-like voice, pausing every now and then. "I-I was j-j-just… r-r-reading some… _historical_ stuff."

Scholar Kanda ruffled his son's head as he smiled, ruining the neat appearance of his hair as his bangs became disheveled. "I bet you were reading about the throne room in the past, am I right?" His long black locks swayed behind him. Yuu turned slightly red as he stammered, "W-what…? How did you know, father?"

Yuu was the splitting image of Kanda, long black hair, dark eyes, even the facial features are almost the same, with the exception of slight creases on Kanda's face. The smaller Kanda's eyes widened as he asked his foster father.

"I read that book before, silly." The older and of course, taller Kanda chuckled. Little Yuu pouted in annoyance, which made Kanda laugh even more to himself. "No fair!" Yuu exclaimed as he confronted his father. "At least tell me about it before I read the book! I don't know if there are seriously sickening mature stuff in there!" he blurted out as a form of impulse. He gasped as he covered his mouth, horrified by his own words.

However, that sentence had already escaped his lips, making really made Kanda burst into fits of laughter.

"Seriously, Yuu? _Mature_ stuff in a _historical_ book about this castle?" A mass of red filled Yuu's cheeks as he felt as though the sun is just beside him, making him sweat buckets. Oh, how he wanted to dig a hole in the room right this instance and hide there for the rest of his live. This was absolutely way too embarrassing! He had done it as an act of impulse, he didn't mean it!

"B… b… Bleh!" the child spat out as he stuck out his tongue at his father in annoyance. "It was by accident, s-so stop teasing m-me!" he spluttered as he pouted. He then walked over to his foster father and gave him a light nudge on the arm with his small elbow. "I gotta change clothes, father, so would you mind going out of the room please? Meilin has kindly invited me over to her quarters for tea, and it's going to commence in about ten minutes." Yuu then began combing his bangs and long hair with his small long slender fingers.

Kanda nodded, turned around and walked out of the room with his head held high.

Yuu sighed as he slumped his frame onto a chair before a dressing table. This room was originally a girl's, so it wasn't surprising when Yuu opened the drawers to find weird girl's makeup. He didn't even know how to use them, and he was just plain lazy to throw them away, anyway. He glanced at his own reflection in the mirror, sighing at his still slightly mussed up hair as he opened a drawer and pulled out a comb. He was very particular about his appearance, especially his long hair. He thought it made him look cool. Once he had finished brushing the tangles out of his long black hair, he set the comb aside on the table and fumbled about for a rubber band. Grabbing a white metallic open-able ring, he popped the catch open with a "click", gathered all of his hair together in one neat bunch and fastened the ring around it, allowing a long ponytail to flow down behind his back. With light, nimble movements, he had his current clothing off in no time and had already started to button up his black coat. Underneath the coat, he wore a navy blue sleeveless tight shirt, with matching black pants folded up to his knee. As he finished fumbling with the second button, he went to his shoe rack across the room and pulled on black work boots, slightly too big for his size.

He sauntered out of the room and down the lengthy hallway, some of the guards even temporarily stopping their guarding duties and glancing at the small boy who had long held the status as the heir of a noble scholar. The path seemed to go on forever, until he came to a red and black diamond-ed double door framed with strong, light-coloured timber. A crown studded with black jewels sat on the very top of the door. The boy slowly pushed one side of the door open. The door groaned with a "creeeaakkk…" as it was being moved. This door has existed for many, many years, probably about quite a few hundred years ago, this was what Yuu had read up in the historical book, right before a _certain_ someone so very _politely_ interrupted him.

Entering the room, what stood before his eyes was a garden filled with the abundance of different species of plants. There was a small creek that acted as the middle line of the garden. A bridge built out of grey-coloured bricks was built just at the middle point of the stream, allowing its sole purpose in this life to be used by people. A pagoda was built right smack in the centre of the bridge. The pavilion had a bright red roof, with Chinese characters written on the bright amber lanterns hanging on the corners of the roof. Six pillars of a murky red due to the shelter of the roof stood at the corners of the ceramic platform, being the support of the roof. The long-haired boy walked over to the alcove.

A black table from ancient China, decorated with intricate yellow designs, stood in the pagoda, with chairs of the same colour and design of the table situated beside every corner of the table. Being Chinese, Meilin had replaced some of the furniture with those of China's style. The brown-haired girl sat at a chair, pouring tea for herself to drink when she spotted Yuu. Immediately she settled her cup down back on the table, stood up from her chair and ran towards him.

"Yuu! You've come!" she squealed excitedly as she flung her arms over her friend.

Yuu smiled, for it wasn't everyday that Meilin show her happy-go-lucky side. Probably this particular personality only pop out when they meet. "How's the ruling going so far, Meilin?"

"Troublesome, as always." She sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Also the current Diva is in need of a replacement, or else he will die. Pythoness Road has also decided the new Diva." She turned to the ceiling and called out, "Road, you can come out now."

"_Road, you can come out now… can come out now… out now…_" A loud echo could be easily heard as Meilin signaled for the sorceress to come out. A small dark-skinned girl stepped out from one of the pillars, as if she had been living there for life. Her darkened violet spikes danced about in the wind, along with the ruffles and her skirt. Jet black cross-like markings were embedded on her forehead, repeating in a chain until it cut across the forehead. A gray mask covered her violet eyes. In her hand was a pink umbrella with a small pumpkin fixed at the tip of it.

She gave a somewhat blasphemous smirk and held out her hand. "Nice to meet 'cha, Kanda Jr."

Yuu slowly raised his hand, bit by bit, movements as stiff as a robot. Just as his palm was about to reach Road's grey one, she unceremoniously pulled it away and used it to cover her mouth as she gave out a loud yawn, leaving the fair-skinned hand hanging mid-air. He nervously brought his hand down and made his way to his seat. The tomboyish-looking sorceress tapped the sharp tip of her umbrella on a nearby chair and it immediately grew a wooden back support, of the same matching black colour and bright yellow designs. She sat down on it, leaning back against the chair, propping her legs up on the table, the soles of her shoes facing Yuu's direction. The long-haired boy blinked. Is Road doing this out of... _prejudice_?

"Has the future Diva been successfully captured?" Meilin asked.

"Why, of course!~ I saw it with my own eyes! It's too bad he was bestowed with poor health." The dark-skinned witch smirked as she pulled out a lollipop from her skirt pocket and popped it into her mouth, sucking on it in great satisfaction. "So… I guess I get my candy reward, as always?" she asked, with the lollipop still in her mouth, making her sentence sound…_distorted_.

The young priestess sighed. "Another year's supply of candy, right?" Road whooped in delight, for she had an extreme liking to candy.

"Excuse me," Yuu interrupted as he raised a hand, "but what is this Diva thing all about?"

"Okay, Yuu, remember that time when your father told us about the story of the dragon that lives in our country till this day?" Meilin asked. The young scholar successor nodded.

"Well, the dragon promised to make peace with our country, but only on one condition, and that is to sacrifice a child to entertain it for every single day of its life. Only with singing will the creature go into slumber, and that is how our country has lived in peace up till today."

"Wait… _SACRIFICE_?" Yuu's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates in utter disbelief. "No way! Why sacrifice the innocent?"

"Well, would you rather be burned down to death by the dragon's flames?" Meilin snapped.

"I'M AGAINST IT!" the boy screamed. He couldn't believe this had happened from the ancient past, and is still going on today. This was all too cruel. "Why sacrifice the innocent when there might be other ways?"

Silence.

"… Well, we _did_ try… We tried to make a puppet that looked absolutely like a perfectly normal human who could sing, but the dragon had this special inborn ability to sense the aura of a person, so that's how it found out we were trying to deceive it with a puppet." the brunette admitted in a soft voice. "At least, that's what my ancestors had done."

She placed her small hands on the scholar's shoulders. "Look, it isn't that we want to sacrifice the innocent. We just _can't_, do you understand, Yuu?"

Yuu bit his lip. He couldn't believe this was happening. What has become of the world, really? Why does the dragon have to come along and steal innocent lives away from the enormous world?

"_Lerolerolerolerolero_!~" a mechanical voice sounded. He looked up in surprise…

…only to find the mouth of the pumpkin on Road's pink umbrella _moving_.

"That thing talks!" he exclaimed in pure shock. First the biased Road, then the horrible tale of the Divas, and now a _talking pumpkin_? Could his day get any worse?

"I am NOT a thing!" the pumpkin sneered. "I am Lero, Mistress Road's loyal golem!"

The long-haired boy was shocked out of his wits so much that his hair stood on their ends. He jumped back in astonishment.

"W-Whatever!" he cried out in exasperation. "I am going back to my room!" With a huff, he stormed out of the gardens with his long ponytail flying in the air behind him, flung the diamonded door that was glued against the wall open, went through it and slammed it shut.

Road looked at Meilin with a grin. "Looks like I scared Kanda Jr. so much, eh?"

Meilin burst into laughter. "Oh Road, your strangeness couldn't get any better!"

"Oh well, anyway Lero's alarm has sounded. I have to go back to the ritual cave now." The witch plainly stated. She then tapped a pillar with the tip of her umbrella, and it began to glow a faint purple. Using her faithful umbrella golem as a dipstick, she pushed it through the pillar, walking towards it as well. Within a blink, the violet-haired girl had disappeared, leaving only the distinct sweet smell of her lollipop lingering about in midair.

The young oracle sighed as she slumped her weary frame back onto her chair. Road was not an ordinary person. On each visit, her energy would run out, straining to have a smooth conversation with the cold-hearted pythoness.

More candy, coming right up.

* * *

The chimney of the train gave out a deafening horn, signifying its to-be departure for the station located at one of the most popular Iceland town, Reykjavík. This town was always famous for its historical fact, being the very first permanent settlement in the country, so it was no wonder this particular town would be visited by tourists almost every single day. An enormous stone statue of a beautiful woman, believed to be the goddess of this town, stood in the heart of the village. Every day, people would come and worship this ancient goddess, praying for their health and safety of their loved ones.

A certain man, dressed in some sort of a formal attire, walked towards the train doors. He had a black top hat fixated on his head, a white band decorating it. His coattails flapped about in the strong wind. He had a brown suitcase in his hands, all locked and secured. He approached the ticket counter.

"A train to Europe, please," he requested. The man, dressed in the train station uniform which was a bright navy blue with the edges trimmed with gold striped, nodded and pressed some buttons on his black typewriter. When he had finished typing out the ticket and official receipt, he passed it to his customer. The man fished out his wallet from his coat pocket, drew out some notes of a murky green colour and handed them over to the station ticket seller.

"Thank you for using our service." The man humbly bowed to the man. "Your train will arrive in an hour or so."

"Thank you," the man murmured in a deep, masculine voice. He then went to a nearby isolated bench and made himself comfortable. While waiting for the time to pass, he placed his suitcase on his lap, unfastened the belts and unlocked the lock that held the suitcase shut tight, and opened it. He pulled out a sketchbook and grabbed a blunt pencil from the bottom of the luggage. Flipping his sketchbook to a new blank page, he began sketching out brief sketchy lines.

Minutes passed. "The train for Europe will arrive in approximately five minutes," an announcement boomed over the speakers situated all around the station. "Passengers, please get ready for your train." Immediately after a "click" over the speakers, there were disoriented shuffling noises of people getting up and making their way to the train platform. The man sighed, and slipped the pencil into his bag. He took one last look at what he had been sketching for the past hour or so, before keeping the book inside his portmanteau.

"Allen… please be alive… Lavi misses you so much…" he muttered to himself while glancing at the clear azure sky. White clouds drifted lazily across it, some of it in the form of weird shapes. They wandered about their own light sapphire world, as free as a bird, which will spread its wings and fly to wherever it wants to go.

He asked himself one question, before directing his focus onto the just arrived train and walking towards the open doors.

_"Will there be freedom for us?"_

* * *

Everything became a blur of colours. A little wobbling of here and there. "Woah!" a middle-aged man exclaimed as he wobbled over and nearly fell over. "This train is going too fast!"

"Hey, watch it!" an angry lady in a cyan Victorian-styled dress hollered, obviously pissed off at the man.

"Train attendant! What's wrong with today's train?" an old lady called out.

"Oof! Stop shoving me, you idiot!" a mustached man growled at a little girl with brown pigtails.

"Argh!" everybody screamed as the train shook from side to side vigorously once more.

The civilian-dressed man sat in a quiet corner, away from the entire ruckus. Luckily for him, his seat had armrests that he could hold on to whenever the victoria shook. He stared out of the window. Glancing at the greenery that greeted him from the window, he began opening his suitcase again, producing his sketchbook from it. He flipped to the page where he last stopped and sketched out circles with light lines connecting it to the bottom line of the page.

Just then, the train's speed slowed down and eventually came to a stop. A horn sounded, signaling the arrival of the Europe train station.

_And I was about to draw something new, too. Good grief._

Many stumbled out of the doors, leaning against the station's pillars for support. Their faces were blue and some even began throwing up. Groans could be heard from every corner of the station. The man cleared his throat as he stepped out of the train, pinching his nose as the disgusting smell of vomit wafted around the entire station. He walked out of the station, watching his step at the same time. It is sure unpleasant to have your shoes smell of other people's vomit, isn't it?

There was a path that went all the way straight to some unknown direction. Noticing a sign saying "Dragonia Village" with its beam stuck firmly into the soil, he knew that he has reached his destination.

Dragonia Village, the town where it was once believed to have a dragon as its ruler millions of years ago. It was believed that during the mythical creature's ruling, many lived in fear, for it was a horrendous tyrant who gave the kingdom nothing but unfairness. Fairytales, encyclopedias, practically anything that were non-relevant to dragons were burnt. Strict rules were set, for example, those who wish to leave the town have to undergo a security check. If they fail the check, they get executed on the spot with the soldiers' swords and weapons. It was called the "Town of Bloodshed" then. Until one day, a green dragon with its scales shimmering under the golden rays of the sun arrived at the village and challenged the king of this town, the fearsome red dragon, to a duel. The fight lasted for many days. Finally, with the last of its strength, the green dragon used its claw to slay the red dragon. Due to its extreme exhaustion, the green dragon also died in the battlefield. In honor of this dragon fight, the people then named this town "Dragonia Village".

Stepping into the town entrance, which was indicated by a stone arc, his eyes were immediately greeted with a marble statue of a dragon in the heart of the town. On the plateau it was standing on were the words "The Legendary Green Dragon Gnyxwolvia who freed the town from tyrannical ruling" inscribed on it.

"If this was named after dragons... is it possible if the Cave of Spells and the Dragon Cavern are nearby...?"

The man stopped at a roadside food stall that was selling noodles. "Welcome sir," the vendor greeted, with an accent as smooth and as oily as hair cream. He was a middle-aged man with fair skin and brown hair. A white apron with blotches of yellow and brown painted on it was tied to his body as he stood near the stove, flipping his pan up and down, making slices of beef flew into the air. "May I help you?"

"One bowl of beef noodles please."

"Alright, coming right up. In the meantime, do have a seat." The vendor then pointed to a wooden oak bench, with a table of the same dark brown colour.

"By the way, may I ask if you are a traveller?" the vendor called out to his recent customer who had settled down on the wooden seat.

"Why, yes I am."

"In that case, have you heard of the Diva legend? It's going around the town like wildfires."

The man nodded.

"I heard they captured a new one. A baby, in fact," the brown-haired man continued. "Said to have maroon-coloured hair."

The customer froze in shock. Silence.

All that could be heard was the hissing and sizzling of the slice of beef being fried on the pan.

_Allen..._

"Well, that is indeed... astonishing," he stated plainly, trying hard not to show the shock in his voice.

"I heard because the current Diva is about to pass on. You know, it's something like a tradition of the royal family. The king/queen or the successor of the prosperous family would depend on this creepy mage or something, then will decide who will be the next Diva."

The man smiled. "I see, I see." But then, deep down inside his heart, he felt waves of worry sweeping over him. "So that's how it works... that mage will use his/her powers to determine the next few hosts of the Diva position. Then the royal will decide whether or not to accept the mage's "chosen character".

"For now I heard the existing Diva is still alive, while the chosen one is living in the castle _verlies_."

"Alright! Here are your beef noodles!" the food seller called out cheerily with that strange yet lovely accent of his, bowl in hand. He carefully set them down on the man's table.

The man slowly slurped on his noodles. It was going to be a long walk later on.

* * *

Yuu slammed his fist against the golden brown walls, causing it to vibrate, the "bang" sound reverberating across the long stretch of the hallway. Damn it! What are they doing with the... Divas?

Who was the current one?

Why did they get chosen?

Who is the chosen one?

What are they doing?

That next ill-fated person... who is it?

Suddenly, he thought of two things that can most likely answer his questions.

Firstly, get down to the basement dungeons. Now.

* * *

Slinking into the shadows, the young scholar waited for the guard to pass before creeping towards the big cell that was at the other end of the hallway. He had to be careful about not getting caught by a patrolling guard. He would be dead if that happens.

As he got closer, he noticed that the number of guards had increased.

"Damn, with this huge number of guards, I will be stuck on getting to the cell!"

As he got closer, a guard that was standing near the shadow he was hiding in stomped his way across, sending dust flying into the air. The small scholar was so desperate to find out about the chosen one that he accidentally breathed in the dust. "Ahh... Ahh...!" His nose wrinkled up.

"Ah choo!" he sneezed out loud. The sternutation echoed across the entire dungeon grounds, catching the guards' attention.

"What was that?" a guard began asking with a gruff, rough voice.

"I think it came from there!" another guard exclaimed, pointing to where the entrance to the dungeon was. All the guards stationed at the cell, either for watching over the chosen or doing their patrolling duty, sped towards the entrance. Being able to distract them with a stroke of pure luck, the big cell was now devoid of any security.

Yuu grabbed the poles of the cell and peered through the small gap in-between the cell poles.

What greeted him came as a shock.

He saw a little baby sleeping on the cold stone ground. He was dressed in a dirty baby-sized jumper, torn with whip marks and stained with scarlet blood, but anyone could tell its original state was a shiny ivory silky colour. He had the finest strands of brown hair growing on his head, possibly even silkier than Meilin's, however, it was in turn stained by the same blood. His fair-skinned body was marred with fresh whip marks, the rubies trickling down from the cuts. Under the sunlight that is streaming down from the small cell window, Yuu could see the transparent water trail that decorated his face running along the cheeks. It sparkled brightly under the Sun's rays.

That was probably the only pure thing on him. The rest was just... _blood_.

How could anyone survive this? Was this what the previous candidates experienced before they get taken away to the Dragon Cavern, where they stay for eternity?

Furthermore, this candidate was just a baby. Or probably a newborn.

_How could royalty be so cruel?_

Yet, this child acted as if nothing bad was going to happen, with his tears purifying him of his blood to become the perfect being.

_Why...?_

Kanda Jr. was so lost in his thoughts that he became scared out of his wits when a hand suddenly grabbed his arm forcefully, followed by the clanking sound of metals knocking against each other. A high-pitched yelp escaped his mouth. _What in the world...?_

"Ahem, may I ask, why are you here, Kanda Jr.?" the guard that caught Yuu red-handed asked sternly.

The child gave his most innocent smile.

"Oh, no. I was walking about, when I saw that there were no guards protecting the cell. I decided to do the "guards" duty; to be the cell's security guard. Consider it as a favour, can't ya, Captain?"

Knowing the child as an innocent being who always tell the truth, the guard captain let him go without any hesitation. After all, this black-haired child was still part of royalty, isn't it? It would be a heinous crime if he had arrested royalty with... with... no apparent reason.

"Alright, you may go up now. But no tricks!" He glared at the little boy with stony cold eyes.

Yuu obediently obeyed and diligently made his way back to the stone steps leading to the main hall. While walking, he could not help but think of that pathetic little baby in the prison cell.

A ear-piercing wail flew into his head like lightning. "_It came from the dungeons..._" he thought. All at once, he knew that it was the guards abusing the baby once again.

A loud snap resonated in his ears. The whip.

More wails. The poor child being whipped again and again.

Yuu couldn't take it anymore. Right in the middle of the dark stairway, he grabbed bunches of his hair with his hands and screamed.

He didn't care if someone heard him. All he wanted to do right now was to scream his heart out.

_Why? Why must this happen?_

_Someone, answer me!_

* * *

The man soon cleaned the platter from the noodles. That was such a... _revitalising _meal. He produced a white handkerchief from his coat pocket and slowly dabbed his mouth with it. After giving the bill to the kind, friendly vendor whom he had exchanged words with earlier on, he stood up, his legs pushing the bench slightly backwards with a noisy clatter in the process, and headed off to the biggest building seen in this town, suitcase in hand.

The castle.

_I'm coming, Allen. Wait for me._

* * *

**A/N: **

**First Author's Note of Synchronicity! :D**

**Second chapter is up! :) For those who have been reading my DN fanfic, I'm sorry that I kinda delayed chapter 7 for 2 months, it's just that I couldn't really find inspiration at all. However, when I was working on this chapter, I finally got some ideas XD -me is guessing it will be super ultra lame lol, since it's just a normal Shiki X Amaya day- *SHOT***

**Review please I'm still a total failure at fanfictions, so even criticism is allowed. Thanks a lot ^^  
**


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